Been a little while, hasn't it? I haven't been up to much. Catching up on TV shows on Netflix, taking care of the man and the apartment, just the normal stuff. We got a new puppy, but between that adorable chaos I read a new book: Knight of Light, book one in The Watchers series, by Deirdra Eden.
I received an ARC for review, and since it's release day I would like to wish Deirdra Eden a very happy book birthday by saying Knight of Light was a fun, entertaining read. I feel fortunate to have been offered a place in the blog tour.
The story focuses on a girl called Auriella, who holds great power that she doesn't quite understand. Through the course of the book she befriends many people of many kinds, and experiences things the rest of us could only dream about. The story is fast-paced but fun, with characters both enchanting and terrifying. It has all the charm of a lighthearted adventure, and all the suspense of a harrowing adventure.
I look forward to the rest of the series, as I was sad to see the characters go. The worldbuilding is intriguing and unique, and Deirdra Eden has crafted a story enjoyable by anyone who enjoys fantasy, magic, adventure, and action--especially middle grade and young adult readers. My only wish is that the book had been just a little bit longer. So much happens and there are so many ideas introduced that I can't help but wish for more. I'll definitely be interested in following this series.
If you're a fan of a good adventure and characters who are tough, determined, and witty, be sure to give Knight of Light a read.
Until next time,J.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Always Crashing in the Same Laptop
So I've been taking a bit of a hiatus, if you hadn't noticed. About halfway through last month I started feeling extremely worn down, and so I took a couple of weeks to myself. During those couple of weeks, I sat down and did a lot of editing on my WiP. I managed to get seven chapters spit-shined and polished. I had plans to finish the next eight and send the document to my crit group, as well as my husband and parents, who haven't read much of my work but would like to.
But then my laptop crashed.
I didn't lose much, when I take a step back and look at it. The main file with my WiP got corrupted, but that was the only thing. I lost no other documents, no pictures, no programs. I had a backup of everything up to when I started those seven chapters of edits, so there's nothing I have to rewrite.
But damned if it didn't suck to lose all of those perfect shiny edits.
For the rest of my little hiatus, I barely touched my document. I was--and still kind of am--pissed at losing something that took a lot of effort and that I was proud of. I got a bit burned out at the thought of doing it all over again, especially since I don't exactly remember all the little tweaks I made.
This week, though, I'm picking it back up. I had a sulk, made some notes, and it's back to edits. My plan is to edit the entirety of Part One, send it to my crit pals, and then start writing Part Two while working on the outline for Part Three. Because of how lengthy this project really is, and because I took that hiatus, I'm giving myself until my birthday in February to get this thing finished and spit-shined.
No penalty if I don't have it finished by then, of course, but it's something to shoot for.
'Til next time,
J.
But then my laptop crashed.
I didn't lose much, when I take a step back and look at it. The main file with my WiP got corrupted, but that was the only thing. I lost no other documents, no pictures, no programs. I had a backup of everything up to when I started those seven chapters of edits, so there's nothing I have to rewrite.
But damned if it didn't suck to lose all of those perfect shiny edits.
For the rest of my little hiatus, I barely touched my document. I was--and still kind of am--pissed at losing something that took a lot of effort and that I was proud of. I got a bit burned out at the thought of doing it all over again, especially since I don't exactly remember all the little tweaks I made.
This week, though, I'm picking it back up. I had a sulk, made some notes, and it's back to edits. My plan is to edit the entirety of Part One, send it to my crit pals, and then start writing Part Two while working on the outline for Part Three. Because of how lengthy this project really is, and because I took that hiatus, I'm giving myself until my birthday in February to get this thing finished and spit-shined.
No penalty if I don't have it finished by then, of course, but it's something to shoot for.
'Til next time,
J.
Monday, July 14, 2014
It's Not the Length
A few weeks ago I posted about the length of my WiP. When I wrote that post, I had just upped my word count goal again, and I was worrying that this book will wind up being too long to sell. I typed out my woes and put the worry to bed for a little while, but in the time since Husband Guy and I returned from vacation, that woe has re-awoken. The other day I upped the word count goal to a whopping 180,000 words. Typical guidelines for my genre say that 115,000 is pushing it, and so yesterday's productivity was halted while I brooded.
Thank the stars I have the support network I do, because if I didn't have them, my own worries might cripple me.
Husband Guy, bless 'im, told me I should stop worrying because the story sounds great, and that's what's important. The ladies in my writing group told me much the same, and one of them asserted that she would much rather read a great story with a lot of meat than the same story watered down for the sake of length. And they're all right: length is a concern, but not nearly as big a concern as I've been trying to make it.
My running theory is that since I'm happy with the writing, my brain has decided to pick something else to feel insecure about. My brain is kind of annoying like that.
To combat this mess of insecurity, I've done a little something. I looked up the word counts of each book in The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire--two series by two authors who have helped define and mold my genre. The shortest on the list is The Return of the King, at 131,000 words. The longest is A Storm of Swords, at 424,000 words.
Really, my current goal of 180,000 doesn't look so extreme compared to that. I've copied the numbers down and I have them pinned on the cork board beside my desk, as a reminder of what my writer family has told me: it's not the length, it's how you use it.
'Til next time,
J.
Thank the stars I have the support network I do, because if I didn't have them, my own worries might cripple me.
Husband Guy, bless 'im, told me I should stop worrying because the story sounds great, and that's what's important. The ladies in my writing group told me much the same, and one of them asserted that she would much rather read a great story with a lot of meat than the same story watered down for the sake of length. And they're all right: length is a concern, but not nearly as big a concern as I've been trying to make it.
My running theory is that since I'm happy with the writing, my brain has decided to pick something else to feel insecure about. My brain is kind of annoying like that.
To combat this mess of insecurity, I've done a little something. I looked up the word counts of each book in The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire--two series by two authors who have helped define and mold my genre. The shortest on the list is The Return of the King, at 131,000 words. The longest is A Storm of Swords, at 424,000 words.
Really, my current goal of 180,000 doesn't look so extreme compared to that. I've copied the numbers down and I have them pinned on the cork board beside my desk, as a reminder of what my writer family has told me: it's not the length, it's how you use it.
'Til next time,
J.
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